Hearty & Meaty Cassoulet

Have any extra ingredients from your weekend meal? Don't let it go to waste, and make this slow cooking, aromatic and savory Cassoulet. Cassoulet originated from South of France, so we suggest you pair this with  Syrah blend.  The pungent, wild flavors of pork and lamb will be tamed when served with Syrah.

Serves 6-8 people, Cook Time 2-2 ½ hours

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of Pork Butt, cut into 1in cubes
• 1 lb of Leg of Lamb, cut into 1in cubes
• 1 lb of Kielbasa Sausage, sliced
• ½ of Applewood Smoked Bacon
• 1 qt of Chicken Stock
• 2 Large White Onions (large dice)
• 3 Large Carrots (peeled and cut into 1in cubes)
• 5-6 Stalks of Celery (chopped)
• 6­-8 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
• 3 tbs of Olive Oil
• 2-8 oz can of Plum or Diced Tomatoes
• 1 small can or 6 tbs of Tomato Paste
• 4 cans of Cannellini or White Beans
• 2 tbs of Dried Thyme
• 2-3 Bay Leaves
• Fresh Parsley for garnish

1. Add all of the olive oil to the pot with the bacon. Cook until it is lightly browned and soft. Remove the bacon and set aside,  leaving the fat in the pot.
2. Salt and pepper your meats. Add the lamb to the fat in the pot, cooking until brown, then remove from pot and set aside. You may need to cook this in two batches.
3. Add the pork to the residual fats in the pot and cook till brown. Remove and set aside with the other cooked meats. Cook in two batches.
4. Next, brown the sausages in the pot then remove and set aside.
5. Add the onions, garlic, celery, carrots, thyme, and 2-3 bay leaves, cooking for 8 minutes until tender.
6. Add the tomato paste to the pot of vegetables and stir in thoroughly cooking for a couple minutes.
7. If using plum tomatoes crush them into smaller pieces before adding them to the pot with their juices. Otherwise, add the entire can of diced tomatoes to the mix, stirring thoroughly.
8. Once this is all mixed together well, add all of the previously cooked meats, including the bacon, back into the pot. Mix well.
9. Add the chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil.
10. Once the stock has reached boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, covering the pot. Cook for 1 ½ hours.
11. After 1 ½ hours of cooking at a simmer, remove the lid to check liquid levels. If there is too much liquid, cook longer without lid. Add more stock or water if there is not enough. Also, check the meats for tenderness.
12. Once the excess liquids have cooked off and the Cassoulet is thick, not soupy, turn off the heat. Then add the beans (drained), stirring until evenly mixed. Taste. Add salt and pepper if desired.
13. Wait 10 minutes till serving for beans to heat through.

Serving Suggestions: Ladle the Cassoulet into bowls. We topped ours with a duck leg and fresh parsley. To make this duck leg, we followed our recipe for Duck Leg Confit. You may need to allow significant prep time if you are not using already prepared duck legs.

This recipe has been contributed by Leo Coulourides, Our Culinary Specialist.